The Power of Haxorus!! (Standard OU)

[CaptainLizard]

Well this is my first real attempt to a RMT Thread. The team I am presenting today is focused around Haxorus and making him sweep. I have tried with my free time to keep this team up and running against the current metagame for awhile now, but with free time becoming less available, I have finally thrown up the white flag and come here to ask for help. So here is my team as of right now:

Rehsaw (Rotom-W) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Trick

Why Rotom-W? Well he serves two purposes. One is to help Haxorus set up by tricking to Pokemon like Forretress, Ferrothorn, Jellicent, etc. or even Pokemon that try to set up on it like Reuniclus, Dragonite, etc. Now maybe not those exact Pokemon, but you get the idea. Rotom's second purpose is to be the teams Special Sweeper. Volt Switch is a great scouting move and hurts pesky Water-Types barring Lanturn and the Water/Grounds, Gastrodon especially because if he isn't Tricked, he completely walls this Rotom with Storm Drain. Hydro Pump is Rotom's most powerful move, hitting most of the OU Ground-Types for a KO and denting most Steel-Types that will get in Haxorus's way. HP Fire is mostly for coverage as it allows Rotom to hit Ferrothorn and even OHKO him. The EV spread is obviously made for max speed and max damage. I chose Modest over Timid because I believe Rotom needs the extra power over outspeeding other Rotoms. Though never tested otherwise.

ITSaTRAP (Wobbuffet) (M) @ Leftovers Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 124 Def / 128 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Counter
- Encore
- Mirror Coat
- Destiny Bond


Why Wobbuffet? That's what I asked myself at first when I saw him under Haxorus's OU Analysis. But come to find out, Wobbuffet is incredibly useful! For starters, he is another opportunity for Haxorus to set up, Encoring set-ups from typical walls must like Rotom does with Trick. Wobbuffet also traps and kills Choicers, most notably Scizor, Mamoswine, Hydreigon, and Terrakion who otherwise beat Haxorus even after a DDance. On top of that, a well timed Destiny Bond and Wobbuffet takes a free KO with him. It really doesn't get better than that. Another option for him might be Safeguard though, because this team really doesn't like Status Conditions. The EV spread is for near maximum bulkiness but slightly in favor of Special Defence so he can take slightly more damage from Choice Bullet Punch or Ice Shard to guarantee a KO. The 4 Spd is to outspeed other Wobbuffet, althought it might actually be better to be slower.

DeerBull (Terrakion) @ Choice Band
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat
- X-Scissor
- Sacred Sword


This guy is everywhere, I know, but I try to use him differently. First you may notice the Choice Band. Well it's a bluff. I throw him in on Pokemon like Starmie or Scarf Hydreigon like I will outspeed them, and if my opponent falls for it then the next Pokemon eats a CB Stone Edge or Close Combat. Other than that, Terrakion is here in case Haxorus fails to sweep seeing as Terrakion benefits from all of the same support and is initially faster. X-Scissor is used for coverage as it hits Psychics that resist it and if Tyranitar feels like testing his luck, it hits him too. Sacred Sword is used against Cursers like Quagsire, who might otherwise wall Terrakion. Also a useful thing about Terrakion is Justified. Say Tyranitar wants to KO my Espeon with Crunch, switch to Terrakion and get over 800 attack! The EVs and Nature give Terrakion all the speed he can get without a Scarf while the Band makes up for not being Adamant.

Walleon (Espeon) (M) @ Light Clay
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Psychic
- Morning Sun


Speaking of Espeon, it is almost the cornerstone of the team. Dual Screens support is a must when running with Haxorus. Move that would otherwise leave Haxorus too weak to continue his set up now do nothing as your opponent helplessly watches him sweep. On top of that, Espeon has Magic Bounce which turns my opponent's hazards into my hazards which helps Haxorus OHKO more Pokemon with less set-up time. Psychic is there just in case I get Tricked or I have the chance to OHKO Gengar or Infernape. Morning Sun is a filler, it sometimes keeps Espeon alive longer, but generally it's useless. Considering using Wish instead. The EVs are to make Espeon as bulky and fast as possible so it can get those Screens up.

RobotChykn (Skarmory) (F) @ Shed Shell
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Brave Bird


Skarmory is the newest addition to the team. So far his usefulness hasn't really been found yet other than he can take a hit like a boss and throw down Spikes. Spikes can turn 2HKOs into OHKOs for Haxorus and Whirlwind reinforces that. Roost keeps Skarmory alive and Brave Bird is there so I can't be stuck on Taunt or Tricked. Shed Shell was picked over Leftovers because heaven forbid I get Magnezoned. Nature and Evs are made to make Skarmory even harder to kill and the speed are there to outrun some of the slower walls, but there would be more useful if he had Taunt.

Clash@Demon (Haxorus) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Swords Dance


The star of the team here. Double Dancing Haxorus. One of the only Pokemon that completely walls this is Skarmory. But that said, it is the most versatile set-up Haxorus. Thanks to team preview, I can change his set-up before the match begins. Swords Dance is for slow stall teams and Dragon Dance is for weak hyper offensive teams. Using both at once is devastating. Lum Berry is there to keep him from being Paralyzed or Confused by Outrage since he doesn't have Taunt. The EVs allow him to outspeed positive base 85s and the extra HP is to soften blows taken from behind Screens.




In Conclusion, this is the team I play. The problems I have with it are usually Hyper Offensive teams that tear through this team before Haxorus gets a chance. Otherwise it's pretty solid. I'm open to all suggestions, especially creative ones, because I'd really like this team to be a little more creative and fun to play. Anyways, all help is appreciated and thank you for your time!!

EDIT: I think I'm going to need another Pokemon to replace Skarmory. On paper he seems perfect for the team, but this team struggles with other Dragons such as Lati@s, Hydriegon, and Salamence. I believe this team needs another Special Attacker. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Superpowerdude]

very good team i like the way it is based around haxourus i might do a team like this based around celebi soon! anyway i havent really picked up any weaknesses yet and i will probally give you a better rate later, but maybe you might want to run Baton pass over morning sun on espeon. I know with no stat boosts it seems stupid but you said morning sun is a filler and Baton pass lets you avoid tyranitars pursuit, arena trap etc. or you could run toxic on Espeon

 

[SkullCandy]

I really like the idea behind double dance Haxorus. Use Dragon Dance against offensive teams to outspeed them and hit them on their weaker Defense stats and using Swords Dance against stall teams to hit a lot harder and muscle past physical walls with greater ease. However, I do have a couple of suggestions.

From what I gather from your comments your team centres around setting up hazards (Skarmory, Espeon), double screens (Espeon), and Encoring with Wobbuffet so that Haxorus can sweep the opposing team as if it were a knife cutting through butter. My only problem is that if Haxorus is taken out your team would fall apart as it would have to rely on choiced attacks from Terrakion and Rotom-W, luck based revenging with Wobbuffet or stalling with Espeon and Skarmory. Your team is so centred on one Pokemon that without it, it has no real focus. However, I don't think you need to change a lot. As your team already does a great job and helping Pokemon who need to set up do so, I suggest changing Terrakion to a double dancer too. This gives you another excellent threat to both offense and stall as well as letting your core of Espeon, Wobbufet and Skarmory to support another Pokemon. Here's the set (I like putting random resist berries on Pokemon because it really help with setting up but it's up to):

Terrakion @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Atk
Jolly Nature
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
-Stone Edge
-Close Combat

Now for minor nitpicks that I have. First Rotom-W really should have a Timid Nature. It lets you outspeed +1 Gyarados who can otherwise severly hurt this team. Also I think that Wobbuffet should be Bold because the metagame is very physical and it allows it to stall out things like Ferrothorn and Payback Forretress much more easily as well as taking less damage from Scizor's Bullet Punch.

 

[CaptainLizard]

To Superpowerdude:
Thanks for the advice :D I'll try out BP on Espeon because Espeon really does have a hard time switching around.

 

[CaptainLizard]

I really like the idea behind double dance Haxorus. Use Dragon Dance against offensive teams to outspeed them and hit them on their weaker Defense stats and using Swords Dance against stall teams to hit a lot harder and muscle past physical walls with greater ease. However, I do have a couple of suggestions.

From what I gather from your comments your team centres around setting up hazards (Skarmory, Espeon), double screens (Espeon), and Encoring with Wobbuffet so that Haxorus can sweep the opposing team as if it were a knife cutting through butter. My only problem is that if Haxorus is taken out your team would fall apart as it would have to rely on choiced attacks from Terrakion and Rotom-W, luck based revenging with Wobbuffet or stalling with Espeon and Skarmory. Your team is so centred on one Pokemon that without it, it has no real focus. However, I don't think you need to change a lot. As your team already does a great job and helping Pokemon who need to set up do so, I suggest changing Terrakion to a double dancer too. This gives you another excellent threat to both offense and stall as well as letting your core of Espeon, Wobbufet and Skarmory to support another Pokemon. Here's the set (I like putting random resist berries on Pokemon because it really help with setting up but it's up to):

Terrakion @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Atk
Jolly Nature
-Rock Polish
-Swords Dance
-Stone Edge
-Close Combat

Now for minor nitpicks that I have. First Rotom-W really should have a Timid Nature. It lets you outspeed +1 Gyarados who can otherwise severly hurt this team. Also I think that Wobbuffet should be Bold because the metagame is very physical and it allows it to stall out things like Ferrothorn and Payback Forretress much more easily as well as taking less damage from Scizor's Bullet Punch.

Thanks for the advice :D I didn't notice it before, but you are right, I'm stuck with 2 Choice Pokemon if Haxorus falls XD. I will definitely test out your Terrakion suggestion, but I just forget what the Barbiri Berry does. As far as the nature changes, I'll test those as well, because Gyarados does give me some problems.

 

[SkullCandy]

Thanks for the advice :D I didn't notice it before, but you are right, I'm stuck with 2 Choice Pokemon if Haxorus falls XD. I will definitely test out your Terrakion suggestion, but I just forget what the Barbiri Berry does. As far as the nature changes, I'll test those as well, because Gyarados does give me some problems.

Babiri Berry weakens the power of Steel-type moves (Bullet Punch basically).

 

[CaptainLizard]

Babiri Berry weakens the power of Steel-type moves (Bullet Punch basically).

Now that's useful, thanks :D

 

[Harsha]

Hey,

Cool team man. I have a few suggestions that should make your team run a bit more smoothly, though. Something I think you should consider is the use of Hidden Power Fighting over Moonlight on Espeon. While you may object because you think healing is necessary, it really won't matter too much with all the rain and sand in our metagame. 25% recovery is really not worth it, in my opinion. Hidden Power Fighting provides you with a means of beating down Tyranitar and an alternative option against Ferrothorn.

Speaking of Ferrothorn, I understand why you have Hidden Power Fire on Rotom-W, but I assure you that you are not gaining too much with that. I would much rather see you invest in Hidden Power Ice, as your team is fast, but not too fast considering +1 threats outspeed your whole team. Dragonite at +1 can be a menace to face, as can any DragMag team essentially. Yea, you do have a Shed Shell, but that's not going to prevent Magnezone from doing damage. You will be forced against a wall and forced to use Wobbuffet. You should also consider using Thunderbolt over Trick on Rotom-W to mess with Gyarados, though you may object because you want to cripple stall. However, I would argue that Haxorus already does very well with stall, and Espeon does too, so I think Thunderbolt is the best option.

Now, the biggest problem I see for this team is the lack of Stealth Rock. You need Stealth Rock for any team, and this is certainly no exception! I propose you drop Spikes on Skarmory for Stealth Rock, as relying on Espeon to bounce them back is never a good strategy.

Anyhow, cool team and good luck! I hope I helped!

 

[CaptainLizard]

Hey,

Cool team man. I have a few suggestions that should make your team run a bit more smoothly, though. Something I think you should consider is the use of Hidden Power Fighting over Moonlight on Espeon. While you may object because you think healing is necessary, it really won't matter too much with all the rain and sand in our metagame. 25% recovery is really not worth it, in my opinion. Hidden Power Fighting provides you with a means of beating down Tyranitar and an alternative option against Ferrothorn.

Speaking of Ferrothorn, I understand why you have Hidden Power Fire on Rotom-W, but I assure you that you are not gaining too much with that. I would much rather see you invest in Hidden Power Ice, as your team is fast, but not too fast considering +1 threats outspeed your whole team. Dragonite at +1 can be a menace to face, as can any DragMag team essentially. Yea, you do have a Shed Shell, but that's not going to prevent Magnezone from doing damage. You will be forced against a wall and forced to use Wobbuffet. You should also consider using Thunderbolt over Trick on Rotom-W to mess with Gyarados, though you may object because you want to cripple stall. However, I would argue that Haxorus already does very well with stall, and Espeon does too, so I think Thunderbolt is the best option.

Now, the biggest problem I see for this team is the lack of Stealth Rock. You need Stealth Rock for any team, and this is certainly no exception! I propose you drop Spikes on Skarmory for Stealth Rock, as relying on Espeon to bounce them back is never a good strategy.

Anyhow, cool team and good luck! I hope I helped!

Thanks for the advice :D I'll definitely test out the Hidden Powers on both Rotom and Espeon. As far as trading Trick for Thunderbolt, I'm going to have to disagree. Trick has been far too useful so far, as I always use it. I've even got situations where Wobbuffet will Encore a set up, like Calm Mind on Reuniclus, then I'll switch to Rotom and Trick it so it becomes completely useless. Situational, but I've done it before. I will agree with Stealth Rock over spikes, because hurting Dragonite is always a plus, but I've actually been thinking of taking Skarmory out of the team. It really doesn't have much synergy with the rest of the team. I was actually thinking of using Jirachi, but I don't know how I'm going to go about doing that.